When future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre first retired in 2007 after 16 years of playing for the Green Bay Packers, many thought he was doing the right thing. He was 37 years old and during his career he did more for his team and the Green Bay organization than most players could dream of. He was a player who always seemed to put his team first, despite his many individual accomplishments.
During his career with Green Bay, Favre helped lead the Packers to 7 division titles, 2 NFC championships, and won a Super Bowl. He also won the Most Valuable Player award three consecutive seasons. Statistically, Favre has set so many milestones that most quarterbacks coming into the league will do well to achieve half their success. Favre has thrown 464 career touchdown passes, passed for 65,127 yards, completed 5,720 passes, has 9,280 career pass attempts, made 291 consecutive starts and led his team to 169 wins, all NFL records by a quarterback.
Favre always seemed to be a kid in the candy store while he was out on the football field. He turned negative plays into positives all the time. He made so many game-winning comebacks that little kids watching at home knew their dreams of leading their favorite team to a Super Bowl victory with 20 seconds remaining could come true with hard work and determination. He gave so many people hope, whether through football or one of his various charities.
When he first retired it was the end of another great legacy. He realized he was no longer the franchise player toward the end of his tenure with Green Bay when the Packers selected Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Knowing that his time there seemed limited, Favre remained himself even with the fact that at any moment he could be pulled for Rodgers to take over. Through it all, he held his head high and finished two more seasons before announcing his retirement.
At the end of the 2007 season in front of the media and his Green Bay teammates, Favre said goodbye to the game he loved and cherished. Since the emotional goodbye from him, it seemed that everything was over, and many fans expected to see him in the booth as an announcer for Sunday or Monday night football games. However, with his never-ending give it all or nothing attitude, he decided he might still have some gas in the tank and accepted the NY Jets’ offer to come out of retirement and take over as starting quarterback. When he arrived at Jets camp, he was reminded of the good old days when Broadway Joe Namath ran the Jets offense, except the Favre-led Jets didn’t fare as well, missing the playoffs and finishing the season 9-7. After a grueling season in which he injured his shoulder, Favre announced his “official” retirement for the second time in two years. And while it was sad to see him go, it was time, the game seemed to move at a faster pace than he could.
After months of denying speculation that he might return again, he did the unimaginable as the 2009 season was about to begin announcing that he would once again come out of retirement to take over as starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Now it seemed that Favre was no longer looking for the best for his team but for himself. He was an aging quarterback with a torn shoulder who didn’t know when to turn it off. It seems that Favre became a victim of the same thing that many others like him have “The Limelight”. It’s hard enough being the average Joe who drifts away from sports as you get older. He now imagine being the face of an NFL franchise constantly in the media, he is always being asked to do commercials and make public appearances. Doing nothing more than sitting at home fishing and maybe making a couple of appearances here and there must not have seemed satisfying enough.
For most of us being able to retire at the age of 39 with more money than you can imagine would be fantastic, but for a superstar it’s not that easy. While there have only been a few legendary players gone in their prime, like the great Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns and Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions. Most pro gamers just don’t know when to call it quits even when there’s nothing left to try. For example, Jerry Rice, probably the best wide receiver to ever play the game, played way past his prime trying to show that he could still do it. Even in other sports, it’s hard for players to step out of the spotlight, like Michael Jordan, the best to ever play on an NBA court.
Whereas we as fans say they should know when to quit. We are the ones who make the true legends want to give it their all regardless of age or the state their body is in. It seems that when they retire they feel like they are letting us fans down, acknowledging that we have supported them through the ups and downs of their careers. So while we can sit here and try to justify why Favre should stay retired, you need to think about all the game-winning plays he’s made, how much he’s contributed to the game, and not just focus on Viking’s 2-year, $25 million contract, after all, who would say no to that.
The only question that remains is whether Favre’s decision to play will tarnish his status as one of the all-time greats. There will always be a debate about who is the best quarterback of all time. The generation you grew up in often dictates your beliefs. Even though current NFL quarterbacks seem to be breaking all the old records. My grandfather still insists to this day that Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr are the two best to ever play this game. My dad’s choices are Joe Namath, Warren Moon and Dan Marino. I would have to say my best quarterbacks of all time would have to be Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and Favre. But my favorite quarterback is Donovan McNabb and that’s because I’m a fan of the Eagles.
